Was it depression, anger or frustration that caused Eric Mundalamo to fetch a gun from his vehicle, return to the church and shoot dead his estranged wife in front of a packed congregation on 30 March 2024?
The Thohoyandou High Court believed there were no mitigating circumstances. He is simply a cold-blooded murderer, and last Wednesday he was sentenced to life imprisonment.
During the court case, evidence was led that shed more light on what had transpired before and during the fatal shooting incident at the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ Church in Makonde Shadani.
On that day, the 42-year-old Funanani Patience Mbedzi was leading the church choir during an Easter service. Before she joined that choir, she had been a member of Worship House, the successful gospel-music group. She was also known as a very proficient businesswoman, running Funi's Hair Salon in Khubvi.
At around 18:00. that day, her estranged husband entered the church. He went out and returned with a firearm. Mundalamo then walked to the front of the church and shot Mbedzi twice in the chest, in full view of the congregation. She was declared dead at the scene.
Mundalamo fled the scene after the murder, but he handed himself over to the police a few days later. He appeared in court and bail was initially refused. Much to the surprise of Mbedzi's family, he was released on bail a few months ago and returned to work as an educator.
That was to be another setback in a painful journey towards closure for the family. It was only last month, after several appearances, that Mundalamo pleaded guilty and was convicted as such. His bail was revoked and he was again remanded in custody.
On Wednesday, 10 December, the Thohoyandou High Court sitting at Waterval sentenced Mundalamo to life imprisonment. His pleas for mitigating circumstances did not find sympathetic ears.
In his guilty plea, Mundalamo admitted to having murdered Mbedzi by firing three shots at her, two of which hit her. He told the court that he had married Mbedzi in November 2014 and that they had one child.
Mundalamo testified that he arrived at home on 17 January 2024, only to find that his wife had packed up most of the furniture and her clothes and moved out to stay with another man. He admitted that they had been having marital problems, which had depressed him to the extent that he had had to engage a pastor and psychologist for intervention.
In his version of what had transpired on the day of the shooting, Mundalamo said that he had gone to the church conference, sitting at the back. He had seen Mbedzi singing in front with the choir, and he had been overcome with emotion.
He went out to his car, where he fetched his firearm. According to Mundalamo, he was in a severe state of depression when he walked into the church and opened fire on his estranged wife.
He admitted to the court that she was not a threat to him or to his life at the time of the incident.
In sentencing him, Judge President George Phatudi said that the accused could not provide any valid reasons for why he had shot the deceased, other than blaming his estranged wife for utterances she had made previously and not on the day of the incident.
The judge also did not believe Mundalamo's version that his mind was so filled with emotions that he did not realise what he was doing. It was pointed out that he went to church with a gun and, after first sitting in church, went back to his vehicle to fetch the weapon. He then cold-bloodedly fired shots without even considering the other congregants.
Mundalamo asked the court to sentence him to correctional supervision, but Judge Phatudi reckoned that this would be a mockery of justice and that the community would lose faith in the justice system, looking at the severity of the crime.
He ruled that even the two social workers' reports to the effect that he was depressed could not be considered as the social workers did not take an oath. The court found the murder was premeditated and was left with no option but to sentence him to life imprisonment.
The sentence was welcomed by family members and friends of the late Mbedzi, who have been very frustrated with the numerous delays in the case. After judgement was read, family members and those in the gallery clapped hands in jubilation.
Outside court, the song Dziphathutshedzo reverberated. This is the last gospel song the late Mbedzi had recorded with Worship House.
Ms Linneth Mudau, sister to the deceased, could not hide her excitement. "We have grieved as a family and we almost lost hope that justice will finally prevail. One thing that added to our pain was the granting of bail to the suspect behind our backs. We have finally found closure, and we can move on with our lives, knowing he will spend his life in prison," she said.